Sweet Tooth #20Review

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Gus confronts Jepperd about ditching him.

By Joey Esposito

A book like Sweet Tooth, with such an important but unrevealed plot thread running through it for nearly two years now, is inherently dangerous. If readers don't feel like they are getting a piece of the puzzle month in and month out, they might lose interest. Somehow, Jeff Lemire manages to deepen the labyrinth of questions about Gus and the plague while keeping readers dangling on every turn. Issue #20 adds a new character to the cast; one who has a pretty nice little setup going for him, and thus is instantly suspect. Lemire also provides a little bit of payoff for the strained relationship between Gus and Jepperd in a great dialog exchange that shows Gus' maturing state of mind. There are a few more interesting bits that dive into spoiler territory, but rest assured that Lemire has something big – and likely twisted – up his sleeve.

The opening pages to Sweet Tooth #20 are incredibly effective, and evoke an air of uncertainty around everything that follows it. While Sweet Tooth has always had a focus on the theme of trust, Lemire makes sure that we, as readers, are just as paranoid as the characters we're following. Opening a brand new story arc in this fashion sets the mood for everything yet to come; something we'll constantly be thinking about in the back of our minds. It's a simple albeit fantastic approach to building the intrigue for this arc.